The Five Talons of the Draconic Prophecy

7th of Dravago

The group continued their journey towards the Shadowdark with a retinue of the Ebon Guard. In order to halt the summoning of the Devourer they had agreed to aid in the transport of a group of keepers to the River of Souls. For nearly a week they crossed the dead wastes, encountering the shambling undead in numbers. They proved little threat to the group, merely enforcing the sense of dread upon them.

Finally, they reached the crossing into the Shadowdark. The mundane horses that had been pulling the caravan refused to enter and ran off into the wastes. Rodimus took up their reigns as the new workhorse moving the caravan down the dark slope into the cavern.

After descending for what seemed like an eternity they came upon a lake of frozen blood blocking their progress. Wet droplets still fell from macabre stalagtites dotting the caverns ceiling. Lyra volunteered to test the ice and scout ahead. Deftly, she crossed to the other side with little effort. Spurred on by the Ebon Guard, Rodimus took to the ice soon after. He promptly broke through the center with his massive weight.

A soul-piercing shriek echoed through the cavern. Lyra turned back towards the cavern’s exit looking for the source. Her eyes were met by the claws of an enraged ghoul. It tore into her face, blood obscuring her vision, before she was able to move back towards the group. Several more ghouls dropped onto the ice from the ceiling. The battle went poorly, the ghouls harried the party while they attempted to regroup. One of the Ebon Guards was cut down as they tried to dispose of a ghoul rampaging through the back lines. Eventually, the group was able to get into a viable combat formation and the battle quickly turned.

With no time to properly lay the slain man to rest they pressed on. For nearly a week they fumbled through the dark passages of the Shadowdark. Finally, their goal was in sight. They had reached the River of Souls. Two row boats awaited them at the shore of the eerie green current. The cart would have be left behind. They were ordered to remove the keepers from their prison and load them into the boats. At this point the Ebon Guard was no longer a necessary guide. The party dispatched them without bloodshed, except for one unfortunate soul who was locked into the cage with the keepers.

Freeing the keepers and locking the remaining soldiers into their prison with a protective ward, the group embarked the rowboats leaving their mounts tied within the ward. They floated down, and at some points up, the current. Eventually, they came across a peculiar sight. A larger boat, manned by devils, fishing for lost souls in the river. They came along side the craft and questioned the reasoning for this. The devils, not known for patience, soon grew tired of them and attacked. A poor decision. With a new boat and the devils claimed by the river, they ventured onward.

Soon, they came upon the summoning site. Blodbok hastily dispatched the cultists performing the summoning with a torrent of falling rocks and light. Their vessel was rended in two by a large rock in the river and the group jumped upon it, ready to end this threat to the planes. “You arrive to soon!” bellowed the corpse of an enormous draconic monstrosity, “No matter, you will all soon perish!” At the same time another voice could be heard. More collected and filled with malice and dread. “Come, face me in my realm fools.”

Battle was joined. They quickly found that inflicting damage on the Devourer was nearly impossible. The energies of the summoning dissipated most of their attacks before the struck. What managed to connect merely cut into already decaying flesh of no significance. With wraiths emerging from the river on all sides Rodimus jumped through one of the tears in the planar boundaries. He found himself within the Devourer’s prison realm, adrift in a vast blackness populated by the planes of existence. In this realm the Devourer could be wounded, though he was free to retaliate in kind and the very nature of the space recoiled upon the living who entered it with increasing ferocity.

After a long battle across two planes of existence the party was finally victorious. Bakkis had managed to skewer the Devourer’s massive head upon his spear in the dragon’s own realm, thus ending the threat to Eberron and beyond. Before his death he issued a final taunt. “It is irrelevant, my mother will soon bring the destruction that I could not. All things must come to an end.”

Tenth of Eyre, Tenth year of the Oaklord

The adventurers travel to Dolurrh, trusting their dark associate Lyra to create a portal to the dark place. Dolurrh being Lyra’s home plane, the other four adventurers were not ready for the magic within this place. The adventurers have seen many atrocities in their time, yet the ones played out on this plane of existence seem to have a maddening whisper behind them, striking at their core and clinging to their thoughts, lowering their abilities within battle and causing them to act entirely unlike themselves.

As the adventurers travel through Dolurrh they are already being trailed, upon coming to a crossroads, known to the natives of this plane as the Dead Man’s Cross, the adventurers finally meet the shadowy figures in combat. The ensuing victory is short lived, for they are afflicted because of it and after the Dead Man points them in the proper direction they find that travel is difficult as all but Lyra have a touch of insanity to them. Luckily the direction they were pointed in was a safe haven of sorts, and one that Lyra had had contact with before.

Yarol, the tiefling manager was an old acquaintance of Lyra’s and he helped a large amount in relieving the adventurers of their…instabilities. The guards, after instabilities had been removed, were of a good nature, Thalan being a fellow, albeit retired, adventurer. After some time spent in traveling to a ferry that would assist them in crossing the “Skins” to reach Gloomwrought, a very strange city indeed of green lights and it appeared as if the structures within the city were alive as well as the inhabitants.

The adventurers arrived in the Fettered Ward, filled with entertainment and a very aggressive and sinister looking race known as Shadar-Kai, one in particular named Zahar who stuck out particularly because of his rudeness. Traveling through the Fettered Ward and searching for information was difficult, as they met with adversity at most turns, the guards slowing them down as well. Lyra appeared to know where to go, the Deathless Palace in the Dust Quarter to speak with Marcus in an attempt to gain information on defeating the God of Death, Insidion.

They found that they must travel to and through Letherna to reach him and that he would know of their coming. Letherna was not a place easily traveled as it was inhabited only by the dead and only the dead were accepted there and that teleportation would be impossible without a key of some sort. We know that a certain High Priestess has ownership of said key and begin the search for it.

During their search, the adventurers travel to the Temple District, upon arrival find a Keeper, a being unknown to all of them aside from Lyra and a being whos intentions are unclear even to her, and this keeper is standing before a building and upon touching the building it collapses upon it’s inhabitants. The champions attempt to save as many as they can, this place again afflicting their minds. After this, another keeper appears and commits to the same action, and upon seeing this new keeper, the first attacks and in the scuffle to remove them from eachother we are attacked by a group of the Raven’s eyrie whom are in ownership of a large Wall Golem, upon defeat we take a prisoner.

The prisoner relates to the champions little and after Lyra requests answers of one of the dead the champions decide more information is needed. Lyra suggests that we go to Marcus as he has ways of persuading beings to speak and so they bring the prisoner to Marcus. Marcus, after wringing the answers from the prisoner has many answers, one in particular, information about the ritual to summon the Devourer of Worlds, a child of Tiamat that must be stopped immediately before all else.

The adventurers start after new heading and proceed off into the streets of Gloomwrought behind their trusted assassin, a cloak of black sheath, Lyra.

Twenty Seventh of Eyre, Eighty Ninth year of the Oaklord

Each blast from the elder dragons can be heard for miles in all directions. Under siege by five chromatic dragons our heroes are slowly loosing momentum and being dragged into a long battle of attrition. After quickly dispatching their first attacker they were hoping for a swift and decisive victory but have had no such luck.

Strike after strike, block after block our heroes are holding their ground even with an assault from every side. They manage to take down another one of the large beast but not before taking a punishing onslaught by it and its remaining friends. Immediately they bring a third to a level ground with them and then switch focus to two new attackers.

After dispatching two of the elder dragons attacking them our heroes are beginning to run out of steam. Although they are holding their own it is taking them longer to conquer their foes and finally after what must have seemed like an eternity they kill another one the dragons. As they begin to focus on the fourth dragon the old man who brought this trouble upon them must have seen the fatigue this battle was putting on our heroes because he summoned a force with so much power it completely rejuvenated our heroes and gave them a bolstered strength to finish the conflict.

With their returned strength they once again were able to quickly dispatch the fourth dragon without even breaking a sweat. Finally all they had left was one dragon, he was a massive beast but without even thinking all of our heroes pounced on him rending his soul from his body and ending the assault on their camp.

….And that is the tale of the Heroes of Oaklords first run in with five talons of the evil dragon flights of old.

Fifth of Eyre, Tenth year of the Oaklord

My work in Gloomwrought has proved very successful. I know that you don’t fully understand why I left, but I assure you that it was necessary and I’m grateful for your support.

It has been nearly ten years since that fateful battle. As you know, it was agreed that my companions and I should meet at that time. A messenger arrived, poor soul seemed very haggard after the trip. He bore a summons from our esteemed King Oaklord.

I have been absent from this world since last you saw me. Much has changed.

Our party was reunited aboard the King’s aerial fortress. Quite an impressive improvement, I must say.

I’ve been informed that dragons have been attacking in a frenzy throughout Khorvaire and presumably elsewhere. We can only assume that this is due to the prophecized return of Tiamat and we’ve been dispatched to track a man that may have more information.

We encountered him south of Cragwar. He’s a strange and cryptic sort, but not unkind. He keeps a few canaries as company.

Forgive me, I must cut this letter short. I hear something approaching in the distance. I’ll visit soon.

Vult 24, 998YK

The plane of Xoriat looms ominously over Eberron, threatening its very existence. Knowing they don’t have much time, the heroes part ways for a short time before battling fate. The dragonborn Blodbok, the Divine Oracle and Draconic Incarnation of Syberis, rests in Aundair. He celebrates his life with mead and flirts with Queen Aurala. The resurrected half-orc Bakkis, Initiate of the Dragon and Reborn Champion of Fernia, the Fist of Flame, reinforces newly found friendship with the dwarf Thoraden. The changeling who escaped the clutches of the Shadowfell, Velia (better known as Lyra) the Gloaming Dancer and elected Perfect Slayer resides at her home in Cyre with her adopted parents, knowing the world may soon come to its end. The bugbear who escaped slavery twice Melgar, the Avalanche Hurler and Dark Wanderer whom calls only one place home, drinks in celebration with Bakkis, Thoraden and others at Castle Oaklord. Finally, the warforged Rodimus, the Earth Shaker and Perfect Guardian retreats to Thelanis, the plane of the Feywild. There he gathers the Guardians to prepare for Eberron’s final defense.

Zarantyr 10, 999YK

The mid-winter snow covers the land of Khorvaire that radiates the purple, luminescent glow from Xoriat in the sky. The past two weeks have been a chill calm, waiting for this moment to transpire. Planar tears rip through Eberron’s existence and out from them pour monstrous beings that would tear the world apart. The heroes split up and command the armies of the segregated Five Nations, defending the nations and Eberron itself. They’re able to save hundreds of thousands of lives, but the supply of enemy is endless and are forced to retreat to Castle Oaklord and prepare the final defense. Airships carry the armies over the land in just a day, arriving at the Castle as the sun comes over the horizon. Not wasting a minute, the heroes and the armies begin fortifying the Castle, preparing for Xoriat’s attack.

Zarantyr 11, 999YK

The night is cold and dark, with only Xoriat illuminating the sky, smothering the moons and stars with a dark, purple haze. Just as the people of Eberron needed a break, the armies attacked. Battle erupted at the main gate, arrows and spells flew through the air in either direction, sending beast and man alike to their deaths. Tentacles erupted from the ground, bringing portions of the walls and the gate to the ground, forcing the heroes back, into the central hall. As they prepared for what may enter, the ground shook. Torches fell from their sconces, stone fell from the wall and ceiling… then the door burst into splinters as Lurking Two-Maws made his attack. His tentacles grabbed anybody within reach, throwing them into the maw that hungered on his chest. Swordwings flew into the battle, making way for Two-Maw’s destruction. Rodimus charged forward without hesitation to defend his allies, disabling the beast while Lyra, Bakkis, Melgar, and Blodbok attacked it from all angles. Bakkis was caught out of position, but Lyra leaped to him and rendered them both invisible. The Swordwings pressured Blodbok onto the ground and behind a table, keeping him from escape, but the great Cleric Sorcerer was able to tend to his allies’ wounds from afar. Finally, the serrated edge of Melgar’s axes decapitated the beast. The heroes cheered with victory as the enemy retreated; but the threat was not eliminated.

Zarantyr 12, 999YK

The sun rises, but is eclipses by Xoriat’s descent into Eberron. It falls in Eberron’s atmosphere, giving it less than a few hours before being consumed. Spotting a great maw on the celestial body, the heroes take the airship Thunderwyrm to the skies, flying into the opening. The ship is pulled through the tunnel that appears to be of a great beast, its walls flesh and pulling them through. The champions falls unconscious for a few minutes and when they awake, they’re being pulled through the tunnel, barely catching glimpses of their allies around them and not seeing their airship in sight.

They’re thrown from the tunnel onto a cavern floor with a great domed structure before them. They enter the passage to find two Thoon Hulks awaiting them, guarding a great dias. Upon this dias sat a pool of thick, green liquid that hosted an Elder Brain. “You have come here on your own free will? Or perhaps not” he said telepathically, “You’ll all be enslaved soon enough.” The heroes press quickly to obtain the advantage. Xor’chylic, the mind flayer, assaults them with attacks from above upon a floating platform. Four purple crystal formations are noted around the room but are completely ignored, focusing their efforts on dispatching the thoon hulks and their master. As the battle begins, the heroes are caught by surprise as three aberrant beasts drop from the ceiling, pulling them in and splitting them up. Blodbok is forced outside the room by the beasts, throwing attacks at the brain while attempting to lead his allies to victory. Rodimus is pulled out of position and unable to defend his friends from the thoon hulks. Lyra whisks around the battlefield, assisting Bakkis and Melgar as they dispatch of the thoon hulks, then focuses her attention on the elder brain with the rest of the party. The chaos beasts continue to pull at them, and one is able to consume Melgar, rending many wounds upon him and knocking him unconscious. They’re assaulted with attack after attack of psychic energy, blasting into their minds. Blodbok uses his divine power to restore Melgar. They shrug it off and Lyra slices the brain in half, splashing cerebral fluid everywhere. What’s left of the elder brain slowly sinks into the liquid, its tentacles hanging over the edge.

The gelatinous beasts fall quickly to their efforts and attention is focuses on Xor’chylic. He immediately surrenders, promising the retreat of Xoriat for 10,000 years if they let him go. The heroes agree and are returned to their airship. Flying in the sky, they witness Xoriat fade into nothing. The planar tears throughout the world close like a healing wound, and Eberron is saved from this threat, forever.

The heroes return to Castle Oaklord and are greeted with praise, celebration, and respect. Citizens, soldiers, nobles, Kings and Queens all cheer for the Saviors of Eberron.